Vikings/Ravens Joint Practices ~ Aug. 19th & 20th

purplefaithful wrote:

Gotta go all the way back to 2009 since the Vikings have had an ALL PRO Guard...
I got to meet Hutchinson and hang with him too when he lived next door to my good buddy in Medina. John Randle lived in the same neighborhood too, so I got to hang with Viking Royalty more than once!
Outside of Bryant McKinnie and Phil Loadholt, Hutch was one of the biggest people I have ever met - just an imposing MF'er.
Nice guy btw.
I assume u are a fan too @Sticky...

Yeah, Hutch was a legend at the University of Michigan. Bad ass.

StickierBuns wrote:

https://x.com/koestreicher34/status/2090509235503132932?s=46&t=ohFAAgt56m6anXyDpx1btQ

potential to be a great addition to that D...Good move by Ravens!!

Instant reaction to Day 2 of Vikings joint practice against the Ravens @Vikings1stSKOL https://t.co/TrottTKKlG

— Tyler Forness (@TheRealForno) August 20, 2026

The Minnesota Vikings have finished two days worth of joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens. Over the two days of practice, we got to see Brian Flores’ defense take on Lamar Jackson, and Kyler Murray face a defense other than the Vikings’.

Being that there were joint practices, most of the top players will miss the preseason game on Saturday. What stood out on Thursday? I was live at TCO Performance Center and this is what I saw.

Dallas Turner continues to shine

Yesterday’s recap of joint practices had me gushing over Dallas Turner’s afternoon. He was explosive in a multitude of ways and it continued on Thursday.

Turner’s developed in a nice way across the board. His body composition is much-improved and deploys a very diverse skill set. He got multiple pressures and a couple of sacks on the day, while setting a strong edge against Ronnie Stanley. He’s primed for an explosive season.

Both quarterbacks showed improvement

After a rough first day of practice, both Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy showed some improvement on the day. They were rough on the first day, including multiple interceptions from both players.

Things looked a lot better from both quarterbacks. Murray had some nice strikes down the field to Justin Jefferson, and hit Jauan Jennings on a go ball in the honey hole of Cover-2. He led the Vikings down the field on a two-minute drill down two with 1:15 left, and Will Reichard hit a 47-yard field goal.

McCarthy also led the team down the field on a two-minute drill, where they scored a touchdown on a Demond Claiborne had a draw play for about 25 yards to seal the win. McCarthy had some impressive throws on the day, including a nice touchdown to Myles Price in individual drills.

Eric Wilson’s wild day

The Vikings might have their best linebacker room since peak Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks. It’s an often overlooked position, but it’s also one that Brian Flores’ defense thrives with good players.

When the Vikings extended Eric Wilson, it felt a little over reactionary . He broke out in year nine, but it was objectively a great season. He’s proving them right so far. Wilson was everywhere ok Thursday, getting pressure in multiple ways as blitzer, both as a pass rusher and run defender.

Charles Demmings has one concerning area

Cornerback Charles Demmings has been the story of training camp. The fifth-round pick has stacked multiple good days and proven to be a good player overall. Within each practice, he’s done a lot of great things, but there is a big concern developing.

In college, you can get away with a lot of physicality, but it’s a lot harder to in the NFL. Demmings has been overly physical during practice, drawing a lot of flags for his efforts. This is something the Vikings dealt with regarding Xavier Rhodes when he got drafted, and they found a way to fix it. Bringing out the boxing gloves might be the smart play.

Ravens rookie WR Ja’Kobi Lane a huge standout

There were two teams on the field this week, and the Ravens had some interesting performances. The biggest standout might be rookie wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane.

He was selected on the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft and gave the room some desperately needed size. Lane has created enough separation with nuanced route running and showed veteran savvy using his length as well. He really stood lit by doing it against everyone he faced. The Ravens might have a guy in Lane.

Other Notes

• UDFA CB Da’Veawn Armstead is getting more opportunities to work with the second team. He took advantage of it with a PBU in 7-on-7 drills and looked good getting consistent work with the second team.

• Keep an eye out this season for orbit motion. McCarthy hit wide receiver Dillon Bell on a swing off orbit motion in team drills for a nice gain. Assistant head coach Frank Smith is going to have a major influence on offense, and that could end up being a staple.

• Safety Theo Jackson went down contesting a deep ball in team drills. He walked off with trainers and seemed to be okay.

• Safety Jacob Thomas continued getting work with the first-team throughout the day, and playing well in the process.

• Safety Jay Ward continues to look good throughout every rep. If Harrison Smith doesn’t return, the safety room is in good hands.

Cricket wrote:

https://x.com/TheRealForno/status/2090514388822163960?s=20
The Minnesota Vikings have finished two days worth of joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens. Over the two days of practice, we got to see Brian Flores’ defense take on Lamar Jackson, and Kyler Murray face a defense other than the Vikings’.
Being that there were joint practices, most of the top players will miss the preseason game on Saturday. What stood out on Thursday? I was live at TCO Performance Center and this is what I saw.
Dallas Turner continues to shineYesterday’s recap of joint practices had me gushing over Dallas Turner’s afternoon. He was explosive in a multitude of ways and it continued on Thursday.
Turner’s developed in a nice way across the board. His body composition is much-improved and deploys a very diverse skill set. He got multiple pressures and a couple of sacks on the day, while setting a strong edge against Ronnie Stanley. He’s primed for an explosive season.
Both quarterbacks showed improvementAfter a rough first day of practice, both Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy showed some improvement on the day. They were rough on the first day, including multiple interceptions from both players.
Things looked a lot better from both quarterbacks. Murray had some nice strikes down the field to Justin Jefferson, and hit Jauan Jennings on a go ball in the honey hole of Cover-2. He led the Vikings down the field on a two-minute drill down two with 1:15 left, and Will Reichard hit a 47-yard field goal.
McCarthy also led the team down the field on a two-minute drill, where they scored a touchdown on a Demond Claiborne had a draw play for about 25 yards to seal the win. McCarthy had some impressive throws on the day, including a nice touchdown to Myles Price in individual drills.
Eric Wilson’s wild dayThe Vikings might have their best linebacker room since peak Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks. It’s an often overlooked position, but it’s also one that Brian Flores’ defense thrives with good players.
When the Vikings extended Eric Wilson, it felt a little over reactionary . He broke out in year nine, but it was objectively a great season. He’s proving them right so far. Wilson was everywhere ok Thursday, getting pressure in multiple ways as blitzer, both as a pass rusher and run defender.
Charles Demmings has one concerning areaCornerback Charles Demmings has been the story of training camp. The fifth-round pick has stacked multiple good days and proven to be a good player overall. Within each practice, he’s done a lot of great things, but there is a big concern developing.
In college, you can get away with a lot of physicality, but it’s a lot harder to in the NFL. Demmings has been overly physical during practice, drawing a lot of flags for his efforts. This is something the Vikings dealt with regarding Xavier Rhodes when he got drafted, and they found a way to fix it. Bringing out the boxing gloves might be the smart play.
Ravens rookie WR Ja’Kobi Lane a huge standoutThere were two teams on the field this week, and the Ravens had some interesting performances. The biggest standout might be rookie wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane.
He was selected on the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft and gave the room some desperately needed size. Lane has created enough separation with nuanced route running and showed veteran savvy using his length as well. He really stood lit by doing it against everyone he faced. The Ravens might have a guy in Lane.
Other NotesUDFA CB Da’Veawn Armstead is getting more opportunities to work with the second team. He took advantage of it with a PBU in 7-on-7 drills and looked good getting consistent work with the second team.
Keep an eye out this season for orbit motion. McCarthy hit wide receiver Dillon Bell on a swing off orbit motion in team drills for a nice gain. Assistant head coach Frank Smith is going to have a major influence on offense, and that could end up being a staple.
Safety Theo Jackson went down contesting a deep ball in team drills. He walked off with trainers and seemed to be okay.
Safety Jacob Thomas continued getting work with the first-team throughout the day, and playing well in the process.
Safety Jay Ward continues to look good throughout every rep. If Harrison Smith doesn’t return, the safety room is in good hands.

I was wondering when someone was going to touch on it regarding Chuck D.

Not sure how accurate this is or not? But a 5th rounder at CB was certainly going to have lots of development in front of them.

I forgot all about the XR being so handsy as a youngen till now.

8/20 Vikings camp summary. pic.twitter.com/s5nKnTBQAo

— Jason Harmon (@JasonHarmonNFL) August 20, 2026

Nice Job Criket!!

Jacob Roberts and Trenton Simpson grew up together and were teammates in high school in Charlotte, North Carolina.

High School Teammates ➡️ NFL pic.twitter.com/fcvZlOKvAI

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) August 20, 2026

purplefaithful wrote:

Nice Job Criket!!

At the beginning of Kevin O’Connell’s press conference, Randy Moss was on the deck overlooking the Vikings’ media area. O’Connell said Moss sat in on the receiver meeting last night. With that much experience, “that’s a room that I was not going to walk in and start talking about…

— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) August 20, 2026

At the beginning of Kevin O’Connell’s press conference, Randy Moss was on the deck overlooking the Vikings’ media area. O’Connell said Moss sat in on the receiver meeting last night. With that much experience, “that’s a room that I was not going to walk in and start talking about receiver playing, I know that for sure,” O’Connell said.

O’Connell said when he got the Vikings job, one of his goals was to have Moss — who was briefly his teammate in New England — reconnect with the team more frequently

“Randy's become a a guy that I talk to quite often,” O’Connell said. “He talks to me more now than he did when I was teammates with him; I remind him of that often. But I love him to death, and [with] all his experiences and what he's been through personally, he’s got so much perspective to share, on and off the field, and he's willing to share it. And I hope to have him as much around here as much as we possibly can.”

Dallas Turner is DISRUPTING the #Ravens OL, specifically former 1st team All-Pro OT Ronnie Stanley. 15 is ready for double digit sacks. #SKOL pic.twitter.com/cPEznd0QWB

— Vikes\/erified (@VikesVV) August 20, 2026